From the Desk of Kim Zablocky:Balancing Optimism and a Harsh Reality as We Head into 2018

Thanksgiving weekend was a record-setter as more than 174 million Americans shopped between Thursday and Monday. Retail sales have exceeded forecasts thus far, and that trend is expected to continue through Christmas. While much of the focus is on e-commerce growth, the vast majority of shopping still takes place in physical stores. Brick-and-mortar retail continues to be profitable – for those doing it right.

Our early bird rate expires on Wednesday, February 1, 2018 so act now!

Be sure to make your room reservations early as well. Get our special rate of $179 per night by calling the hotel directly and mentioning the RVCF Conference. Rooms are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis until sold out or the cut off date of Sunday, April 8, 2018.

Many retailers require merchandise suppliers to offer value-added services (VAS) in order to do business with them. VAS refers to services a supplier provides to ensure a product is floor or consumer ready when it arrives at the store or can be immediately shipped directly to the consumer. This makes it possible for cartons to be cross-docked through the retailer's distribution center. Store associates can then open cartons and either place the floor ready product on a sales floor shelf or ship the consumer ready product to a consumer without adding price tickets, labels, polybags, hangers, etc.

You know you need one, but getting the right systems in place can be a little overwhelming…

Being able to manage your suppliers is key when it comes to implementing a drop ship program – when your brand and reputation are on the line, you need to trust that your suppliers will accurately process and fulfill consumer orders while keeping you updated during each step of the process.

This on-demand webinar, presented by TrueCommerce, a leading commerce network provider, outlines how to tackle the four key challenges associated with implementing a drop ship program.

For retailers, a well-constructed compliance manual acts as the foundation upon which a supply chain scorecard and compliance program is built. By providing merchandise suppliers with all the information and direction they'll need to comply with the retailer's expectations, a compliance manual charts the course for successful execution. This set of "how to do business with us" requirements typically lives on the retailer's website or a separate web portal.

As you think about 2018 and plan your attendance at RVCF conferences and on the monthly "retailer open forum" calls, please consider reaching out to others within your organization that might benefit from joining you, especially in the area of e-commerce supply chain compliance. With the ever increasing focus that RVCF is placing on topics ranging from "supplier direct-to-consumer drop shipping" to "image and attributes compliance," their participation and involvement would be both welcomed and encouraged.

Thanks for all your support in 2017!

Happy Holidays from all of us at RVCF

Yusen, We Have a Problem!: What Yoda and Gallagher Can Teach Us About Critical ThinkingKirk White, Yusen Logistics (Americas) Inc.

Continuing our series on critical thinking, pop quiz time! Answer the following questions...

U.S. importers should be aware that U.S. Customs and Border Protection ("CBP") has begun scrutinizing imported goods suspected of being made with North Korean forced labor, as required by the recently enacted Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act ("CAATSA"). CBP appears to be focusing on import shipments from areas in China and Russia bordering on North Korea, and has seized several shipments and issued Requests for Information ("CF-28s") to U.S. importers asking for documentation that proves that no forced North Korean labor was involved in the production of the goods.

Drop ship/direct-to-consumer. Working with Amazon. Relationship management. E-commerce scorecarding. New technology. New research. Networking. And most importantly, problem solving and collaboration. This is just a small sampling of what people who attended the RVCF Fall Conference experienced last month in Phoenix

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